Mid-20th Century Decorative Art

Beautiful multicolored sculpture attributed to the Lenci factory Faenza ceramic mosaic Moving inscription with dedication on the back: “In the u...

Gilt wood sunburst mirror made in Italy during the middle of the 20th century. Layers of rays protrude out from the round mirrored center in strait and squiggly lines.

Hardy Strid, Composition, 1950s Color lithography Number 46/200 This work is signed by the artist and has an individual number(pencil) Sheet dimensions 48/34 Framed work Hardy Bertil Roland Stridh was born on July 6, 1921 in Haverdal, died on March 27, 2012 in Halmstad. He was a Swedish painter, illustrator, graphic and glass artist. Stridh was initially educated as a professional painter and studied easel painting. In the late 1930s, he experimented with paintings similar to the Halmstad group...

School Teaching Display Anthill of the Horse Ant A vintage school teaching glass display of the anthill of the horse ant. It shows the hill and inhabitants thereof, the life inside ...

Irene Cafieri Contemporary Oil on Canvas 1970s Measures: 36″ X 24″ Lovely landscape by contemporary artist.

Pair of 1960s tooled leather mid evil curved wall plaques.

A brilliant set of 2 vintage original 1960's LUI magazines, featuring standout Brigit Bardot covers. Offered here are the full magazines; intact; in good ...

Vintage Josan Sarouk oriental rug, circa 1930, small size A vintage Josan Sarouk oriental rug, size 4'10" x 3'7", circa 1930. This lovely hand-knotted ...

Surrealist nature morte engraving in the style Chirico Epreuve d'Artiste "Espace" engraving surface is 24.5 by 18.5. This art will ship out of Newburgh NY USA

Large American Micromosaic Alaskan landscape, Features Moose This large scale micromosaic panel is executed with impressive precision. It features a moose in a typical Alaskan lands...

Striking and vibrant educational wall art from the mid-20th century, produced during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia. This piece, rendered in a bold Pop Art style typical of the ...

Artwork from US born Italian artist Emanuele Laustino (Pittsburgh 1916-Asti 1988). Laustino was the son of immigrants from Asti´s countryside in Northern Italy, and moved to the Unit...

Large world relief map. Measures: Width 232 cm. Height 158 cm.

This is a pair of vintage framed wine lists. An English, pine and glass decorative panel, dating to the Art Deco period, circa 1930. Delightful vintage sherry...

Vintage Persian Heriz Oriental rug, Small size A vintage Persian Heriz oriental rug, size 4'5" x 3'6", circa 1950. This handsome hand-woven geom...

Irma Yourstone for Upsala-Ekeby. Wall plaque in glazed stoneware. 1960s. Measures: 32 x 29 cm. In excellent condition. Stamped.

Vintage Persian Baktiari Oriental Rug, Room size A vintage Baktiari oriental rug, size 13'0" x 10'4", circa 1940. This handsome hand-woven geometric rug features a garden design in...

Vintage Persian Baktiari Oriental rug, Small size A vintage Baktiari oriental rug, size 8'2" x 5'3", circa 1930. This handsome hand-woven geometric rug features a central medallio...

1950's French Zinc letters - Letter Black I. We have 19 of these well worn and very beautiful zinc letters which look beautiful as decorative pieces in their own right or are frequ...

Salvador Teran mosaic and brass tray. Born in Taxco, Salvador Teran (1920-1974) trained with Spratling at Las Delicias, then from 1939 worked with his cousins Los Castillo at their "...

Vintage Persian Kerman oriental carpet, size 8'1" H x 5'0" W, circa 1940. This vintage hand-knotted Persian rug features a striking ivory central field, with a central medallion ...

A light-brown, vintage Mid-Century modern French self-portrait oil on cardboard painting of Daniel Clesse, in good condition. Signed on the lower right. Wear consistent with age and ...

Vintage Persian Sarouk Oriental rug, circa 1930, Room size A vintage Persian Sarouk oriental rug, size 10'1" x 8'3", circa 1930. This lovely hand-knotted wool rug features an intr...

Great Vintage School Teaching Display of Household Pests A vintage school teaching showcase with household pests specimen behind glass. Used as teaching material in German schools c...

Well executed colorful watercolor on paper of New York City by the French artist Roger Bertin in white gallery frame, circa 1960. Roger Bertin was born in Rue Gabrielle in Montmartre, Paris in 1915, and lived in the same house all his life. His godfather was the poet and painter Max Jacob...

Original drawing executed by Heidi Melano in the manner of and during her collaboration with Fernand Leger. This beautiful work of art by mosaic artist, Heidi Melano, would make a great addition to an art collection and enhance most any home, perfect for those who have an affinity for unusual pieces of art. Measures: Depth 0.07 in. x Width 36 in. x Height 46 in. Will enhance any setting. About The Artist: Heidi Melano is a world renowned artist. Her maiden name Heidi Hoegger, she was born in Geneva on April 20, 1929. Granddaughter of the great Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler, she was passionate about art from an early age: she created, painted and lets her imagination speak by expression through different techniques. Very quickly, she wanted to become a mosaic artist. At the age of 23, she won a mosaic competition with her work "La Volière". On this occasion, she meets Lino Melano...

A magnificent hand painted Bjørn Wiinblad Rosenthal platter made for the studio line ceramics. Signed Bjorn Wiinblad. Decorated in 24-karat gold with an iridescent pattern. A fantastic collector’s item. Please note: This plates are heavy, weighing about pounds. It will be very well packed to ensure safe arrival. Including a rectangular platter...

A spectacular 1.7m x 1.6m (6ft x 5ft) Roman style floral mosaic wall hanging, certain to impress on the walls of any home! Expertly crafted using small tesserae pieces, this large m...

Great Vintage School Teaching Display of the Fresh Water Habitat A vintage school teaching showcase with specimen illustrating the fresh water habitat. Used as teaching material in ...

Set of 2 Mid Century Male Charcoal Drawings. One depicts a male in the process of undressing while the other shows a fully nude male. Both are signed but...

Signed Mid Century Eiffel Tower painting by Joseph L. Klein III. Fabulous composition of the Eiffel tower in orange and brown tones. Cubist in s...

Original gouache on paper by Czech-American artist Willy Mucha, titled Winter, completed in Patterson, New York in 1961. A layered abstract composition in shades of olive, blush, and...

Interesting set of three plastic panels, they are a mid century reinterpretation of an earlier leaded glass form. These were probably set in wood frames originally, now that they are...

Vintage handmade fully glazed Swedish midcentury modern wall platter / centrepiece with organic, floral decor depicting a gazelle with a direct gaze surrounded by vegetation in brown, ochre, green, white and bright pink colors on a striped dark blue background created with the experimental sgraffito technique that Tilgmans became famous for. Designed and handpainted in the late 1950s by Eivor Lang and manufactured by German/Finnish Paul Harald Tilgman in his workshop in the small town of Kortedala close to Gothenburg, Sweden. Milky white glaze on the base and sides with curved, muted green decor framing the image along the edge. Three holes for hanging - two in use with metal wire. Signed under base. An handpainted piece in beautiful condition. Paul Harald “Harry” Tilgmann was born in Dresden, Germany in 1904 and emigrated to Sweden during WWII where he started Tilgmans Keramik (= Ceramics) in 1948 in the small town of Utbynäs close to Gothenburg. Tilgman had 16 employees working for him and when he hired the Polish refugee Marian Zawadzki (1912-1978) as artistic director in 1953, Tilgman Keramik started experimenting with the distinct sgraffito technique. The sgraffito technique consists of carving fine lines into the background of a design through a light colored glaze down to a dark grey clay slip. This created a unique textured ground which has become a style associated with Tilgmans Keramik in particular. The decorative elements also appear to be outlined with a carved line and then hand painted with overglazes where birds, fish, flowers, butterflies and other animals were a common theme. This type of work was the most popular in midcentury Sweden alongside Tilgmans small animal figurines...

A grey, oval vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian wall mirror with its original mirrored glass, made of hand carved wood in good condition. Wear consistent with age and use, circa 1940...

Paul Holsby, Yster lek, 1967 Color lithograph Number 12/220 The work is signed by the artist, dated, titled and individually numbered (in pencil) Working d...

Midcentury hunting trophy made with an oak frame and a deer foot Ideal for a chalet style decoration French, circa 1960. Good vintage condition Shippin...

A green-grey, vintage Mid-Century Modern French "Udile" oil on wood painting of a landscape, painted by Daniel Clesse in good condition. The painting depicts colorful nature of a for...

Original pair of midcentury pastels on paper featuring a portrait of period jockey rider. Each is signed by the original artist "Hagulaton" and comes in its original frame. Measu...

Mid-Century Modern Mixed Media Paper Cut Art encased with a Glass and Chrome Frame. Numbered on the back. Art Size measures: 8.25 x 10 inches. Great Gift...

Depisis style midcentury oil panting vase rose flowers signed T.Rossi 1940s classic frame. Elegant and refined as a picture of Depisis.

A circa 1940's Italian Carved wood silver-leafed shield. Measurements: Diameter: 36" Depth: 2"

Enamel Horses in many colors , on a Thick Wénge panel . Love the movement in the Horses . Attributed to Julia F.M.T. Braendle (1929-1982). Background information. Juliana Francisca Maria Tosco Braendle (Brändle) was born on 28 August 1929 in Rotterdam, with Swiss nationality. Julia was a student of the arts and crafts school (Kunstgewerbeschule) in Zurich and of the Academy for Visual Arts in Rotterdam. She lived in Bingelrade (South Limburg) since 1969 where she died on 30 September 1982. She was a watercolour painter...

This one of kind signed vintage abstract Rolph Scarlett acrylic on paper dates from the 60's. It has been just recently framed in a simple off-white museum mat and black wood frame. ...

Islamic Arabic calligraphy circular tray with silver overlay. Round Egyptian brass tray overlaid with metal silver and copper Islamic calligraphy ...

Sophisticated and charming both, this enamel-on-copper panel shows a green and yellow parrot happily perched in a Mid Century wire birdcage, its sides curving and its top embellished...

Charming Danish poster in wooden veneered frame.

A dark-blue, red vintage Mid-Century Modern French abstract oil on wood painting of a color field, painted by Daniel Clesse in good condition. Signed on the lower right. Wear consist...

Vintage Persian Baktiari Oriental rug, Small size A vintage Baktiari oriental rug, size 8'2" x 5'5", circa 1940. This handsome hand-woven geometric rug features a central medallio...

A turquoise-green, blue vintage Mid-Century Modern French abstract composition oil on wood painting, painted by Daniel Clesse in good condition. Signed on the lower right and counter...

Beautiful 1950s abstract tile wall decoration by Jan Nolf (1931-1999) Belgium. This has been a table top.

Peter Robert Keil was born to an artist blacksmith father whom he lost very early in his childhood during the Second World War. During the end phase of the war, Keil's mother, also an artistically talented woman, took her son and struggled her way to West Berlin where they settled. This is where Peter Robert Keil grew up in the working-class neighborhood of Berlin-Wedding and where he discovered his interest in painting – particularly in expressionistic artists and in Pablo Picasso's work. From 1954 on, the East Berlin-based painter Otto Nagel became his mentor and taught him first craft skills and painting techniques. In 1954, he began his traineeship as an artist metal worker and between 1959 and 1961, he studied at the University of Arts in Berlin. When the Berlin Wall was built, he lost contact with his mentor Otto Nagel and from the early 60s on, Keil started to spend more and more time abroad. During his studies at the University of Arts in Berlin, he came in contact with numerous other artists who later became influential artists of their generation, like for example Georg Baselitz, Eugen Schönebeck, Markus Lüpertz and Joachim Schmettau. During his time in Mallorca, he also met with Joan Miró in his studio several times. From the early 60s on, Keil established studios in Paris, London, Berlin and in the US. Today he mainly lives and works in Zimmerau (Bavaria, Germany), Berlin and Los Angeles. This painting is painted on newspaper. It was painted in Palma Mallorca...

White Bunny Drawing by Oleg Cassini for Playboy October 1979, Signed. Illustration of a woman wearing a white body suit, choker, and hat. Signed by Oleg Cassini. Notice the body suit is in the shape of the head of a bunny with clever use of the 'whiskers'. Approximate Measurements: Length: 11" Width: 14" Property from the Collection of Steven Rosengard, Chicago, Illinois This original drawing was commissioned by Playboy and included in the October 1979 issue of Playboy Magazine (pages 225-227) in a feature that included works from designers such as Bill Blass, Oleg Cassini, Edith Head, Fernando Sanchez, and Monika Tilley, among others, who create their versions of the Playboy bunny costume. Candace Collins can be seen modeling some of the designs in the feature. Oleg Cassini is an icon of twentieth-century fashion. Though born to Russian aristocracy and raised in Italy, he built a fashion empire that was unmistakably American. Cassini is perhaps best known for the hundreds of designs he created for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (see images 4-8), but his achievements as a collector, connoisseur, and quintessential twentieth-century man go far beyond Camelot. In 1913, Oleg Cassini was born in Paris to the Russian diplomat Count Alexander Loiewski and Countess Marguerite Cassini, a Russian aristocrat of Italian ancestry who also had an interesting link to America. The daughter of Count Arthur Cassini, Russian Ambassador to the United States during the McKinley and Roosevelt administrations, Marguerite dazzled turn-of-the-century Washington as her father’s official hostess and left her mark on the capital city. Stationed in Denmark when the Russian Revolution toppled the czar, Ambassador Cassini and family were exiled to Switzerland before settling in Florence, Italy, where young Oleg was raised. A true Renaissance man, he spoke Russian, French, and Danish before adding Italian and English; he studied medieval and modern European military history and costume and learned to draw; he learned horseback riding, fencing, and the art of chivalry; and, most importantly, he came to understand the struggles of the Russian titled class and other European aristocrats in the wake of the Russian Revolution and World War I. Countess Cassini started a successful fashion business in Florence, and soon the talented young Oleg was sent to Paris to sketch the latest collections for recreation in Italy. In Rome in his early 20s, Cassini created fashions for high society women and designed for a few films, which planted the seed for his move to Hollywood. The drive to reinvent himself brought Cassini to America in the 1930s; in his autobiography he describes arriving nearly penniless in mid-Depression New York City where his title as an exiled Russian Count meant even less than in war-devastated Europe. Down and out, Cassini struggled for employment, having sketching skills but no knowledge of the wholesale trade required for survival in Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue fashion district. However, he excelled at making connections, and Cassini slowly entered New York society. He was soon joined by younger brother Igor (who had studied in America and travelled with the young Emilio Pucci) and his parents, the once-dazzling Countess and his father, the displaced diplomat still loyal to Russia. The family settled in Washington, D.C., and Igor worked his way up the Hearst newspaper chain to become the famous society columnist Cholly Knickerbocker. In New York, Oleg Cassini married the troubled socialite Merry Fahrney (who would go on to marry eight times), but the marriage ended in scandal for Oleg, and he decided to follow his original intention and head for Hollywood. Despite initial difficulties, Cassini gained access to Hollywood’s elite (partially through his skills on the tennis court), and was soon hired as a designer at Paramount Pictures alongside the redoubtable Edith Head. In her 1941 film debut I Wanted Wings, Veronica Lake wore a memorable Cassini design. That same year, Cassini met and married the newest young Hollywood star on the scene, the beautiful 20th Century Fox–talent Gene Tierney. With the outbreak of World War II, Cassini enlisted in the Coast Guard but was transferred to the U.S. Army Cavalry which allowed officers of foreign birth. He attended basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas, and the horsemanship he learned as a boy served him greatly. He attended Officer Candidate School and reached the rank of First Lieutenant (he also became an American citizen at this time, losing his title of Count). Cassini spent several years posted at Fort Riley, where Tierney joined him before he landed a convenient military post in Hollywood. As Tierney’s career thrived (she played the title role in Otto Preminger’s Laura in 1944), she was able to assert her influence over 20th Century Fox’s head Daryl Zanuck, who hired Cassini as designer for Tierney on her 1946 film The Razor’s Edge, which proved to be a brilliant showcase for his talents. The pair separated the same year and, again seeking reinvention, Cassini re-established himself in New York City as a fashion designer. By 1950, the Oleg Cassini label was born. Combining his knowledge of Old World and modern Europe, Hollywood, the tennis courts of Palm Beach and Newport, and of course, New York City, Oleg Cassini invented a new brand of fashion that was distinctly American and of its moment. For his first collection, Cassini took to the stage, narrating the looks and imbuing the scene with his personality, unusual in an industry where the designers typically remained backstage and the models were called by number over a PA. The first collection was a smash — the president of Lord & Taylor devoted all of their storefront windows to his designs — and by 1955 sales had reached $5,000,000. Oleg Cassini’s career had turned a very positive corner. Cassini spent the early 1950s traversing the country, personally selling his collections to department stores in the interior, something his predecessors had never done, and moving between the Hollywood and New York scenes. Cassini’s brother Igor coined the term “the Jet Set” for this generation that constantly flew from New York to Los Angeles (then a ten-hour flight), Las Vegas, Paris, Rome, and the Riviera. In 1954, Cassini set out to woo Grace Kelly and sent her roses every day. The two were briefly engaged before her marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. In December 1960, Cassini’s career-defining opportunity came when he was chosen by Jacqueline Kennedy to design her fashions for the White House. Cassini had long known Joe Kennedy and his war-hero son John, and had first met Jacqueline Bouvier before her marriage in the early 1950s. Invited by President-Elect Kennedy to meet Jacqueline at Georgetown Hospital (she had just given birth to son John Jr.) to present to her drawings of potential dresses and First Lady looks, Cassini worked furiously to prepare a new line for the First Lady. Mrs. Kennedy had always had her clothes made by the top French couturiers of the day, but for the White House she wanted an American designer. Cassini wrote in his autobiography that he told the First Lady: “‘You have an opportunity here,’ I said, ‘for an American Versailles.’ She understood completely what I was trying to communicate; she began to talk excitedly about the need to create an entirely new atmosphere at the White House. She wanted it to become the social and intellectual capital of the nation” (Oleg Cassini, In My Own Fashion, 1987, p. 327). Mrs. Kennedy loved Cassini’s design for a gown to wear to the Inaugural Gala (she had already ordered a dress from Bergdorf’s for the Inaugural Ball), and Cassini was selected as the First Lady’s designer and was soon dubbed the “Secretary of Style.” From 1960 to 1963, Oleg Cassini would design over 300 items for Mrs. Kennedy, creating the “Jackie Look” that contributed not only to a fashion revolution but also the dawn of a new age. Cassini wrote that “Jackie played a very active role in the selection of her clothes. She loved brilliant colors — pistachio, hot pink, yellow, and white among others. Her sense of style was very precise; she would make editorial comments on the sketches I sent her. She always knew exactly what she wanted; her taste was excellent” (Oleg Cassini, In My Own Fashion, 1987, p. 334). After the Camelot years, Cassini’s business flourished and grew into a major industry; his name appeared on everything from couture to tennis-, sport-, and swimwear, car interiors, housewares, and perfume. He collected beautiful and rare artwork, arms and armor, and antique furniture, and lived the lifestyle projected by his image. From this period onward, Cassini also came to live in important homes. Of his Gothic Gramercy Park townhouse on Manhattan’s 19th Street he would write imaginatively, “I walked into the foyer and immediately fell in love. It was a place unlike any other in New York, a sixteenth-century Dutch house transported brick by brick from Europe by the Wells Fargo family in the early twentieth century. There was a vaulted, twenty-foot ceiling in the living room, leaded windows, elegantly carved wood paneling...

Vintage Persian Heriz Oriental rug, room size A vintage Persian Heriz oriental rug, size 12'1" x 9'6", circa 1930. This handsome hand-woven geom...

Heavy painted iron with loops on the top ends for suspension. Vibrant color, excellent images and great weight. One side painted with the image of Admiral Lord Nelson...

Vintage Persian Heriz Oriental rug, Room size A vintage Persian Heriz oriental rug, size 11'2" x 9'0", circa 1950. This handsome hand-woven geometric rug features a central medall...

Bauhaus trained artist Paul Citroen (1896-1983) is famous for his graphic works and photographs. This drawing of a nude woman is fantastic in its simple form and warm colors. The ...

Vintage Swedish framed embroidery of a native woman in a tropical environment. A "Bloomsbury" bohemian style embroidery made in the 1940s. A dreamy kind o...

Vintage Persian Heriz oriental rug, small size A vintage Persian Heriz oriental rug, size 7'5" x 4'10", circa 1930. This handsome hand-woven geo...

Kananga masks form geometric patterns. These masks represent the first human beings and are normally made by carvers of the Awa society. The masks are worn during the Dama dancing ce...